Plain of Standing Stones
| demonym = | population = | races = Hill giants, hobgoblins, humans, ogres, verbeegs | languages = | religion = | alignment = | socrefs = | established = | start event = | start date = | event1 = | date1 = | event2 = | date2 = | event3 = | date3 = | event4 = | date4 = | disestablished = | end event = | end date = | predecessor = | successor = | population1 = | popyear1 = | population2 = | popyear2 = | population3 = | popyear3 = | population4 = | popyear4 = | population5 = | popyear5 = | poptable = | ruler1 = | ruleryear1 = | ruler2 = | ruleryear2 = | ruler3 = | ruleryear3 = | ruler4 = | ruleryear4 = | ruler5 = | ruleryear5 = | rulertable = | histrefs = | usethe = yes | useon = | inhabitants = yes | locations = yes | organizations = yes | settlements = yes | roads = yes | mountains = yes | forests = | events = yes | food and drink = yes | items = yes }} The Plain of Standing Stones was one of the three major subdivisions of the Anauroch desert. The northern dwarves called it Turlaghh, the "Field of Broken Dreams". Geography Anauroch was divided into three distinct areas, the central of which was the Plain of Standing Stones. To its north was the High Ice, and to the south was the sandy region known as the Sword. The mostly waterless region of the Plain was full of gravel and jagged rocks. The area was ravaged by powerful winds, and was almost devoid of trees. Very little of the region was actually flat plain; much of it rose up as a plateau over the sandy desert to the south. The winds had carved the stone into pillars, spikes, and other strange shapes, and it was full of cliffs, rifts, and rubble. Unlike in the Sword, the Netherese did not build many settlements here before the Fall of Netheril and the creation of the desert, so there were not many ruins or buried treasures. However, the mineral wealth of the land was great, and it was here that the Netherese first discovered chardalyn. Flora and Fauna A few small shrubs and trees managed to survive here, within cracks and ravines. Some of the larger canyons and hidden valleys were actually lush regions. In these latter places, herds of wild sheep and other animals survived. History The Plain of Standing Stones was formed by the same magic that ruined the rest of Anauroch. Before that time, a few significant events occurred in the region. In , the great arcanist Ioulaum led an army against a horde of orcs near the southern end of the Plain of Standing Stones. In chardalyn was discovered here in the small Netherese mining community of Fluvion, near what used to be the fork of the Zweihaus River and Wont Surge. Notable locations Only a few of the notable locations within the Plain of Standing Stones had ever been given names by outsiders. Some of those places are listed below. ; Aerithae's Rest : This hidden valley was a secret paradise. ; Fallen Giant Rift : This cracked and branched canyon was home to hill giants. ; Heroes' Helm : This rock formation looks like a giant helmet. ; The Hidden Valley of Srindin : This was once the home of a retired elven explorer. ; The Pillar of Tauros : This rock formation towers 100 yards (90 meters) over the surrounding land. ; The River of Gems : This solitary ice-fed river within Anauroch flowed down from the High Ice. ; The Shattered Tower : These ruins of an old, crashed storm giant cloud palace rested in the Plains. ; The Swordpoint : This mountain peak was tall and narrow, almost like a needle. ; The Throat : This huge sinkhole was the at the end of the River of Gems. Inhabitants Bands of human or dwarven outlaws sometimes managed to survive here, and there were also a few barbarian tribes of hill giant, hobgoblin, human, ogre, or verbeeg tribes living in caves within some of the hidden ravines and valleys that supported animal life. Appendix References Category:Deserts Category:Locations in Anauroch Category:Locations in North Faerûn Category:Locations in Faerûn Category:Locations on Toril